St Andrew the Apostle
Byzantine Catholic Church
St Andrew the Apostle
Brother of Simon Peter and fisherman by trade, Andrew was born in Bethsaida and fished the waters of the Sea of Galilee. A disciple of John the Baptist with sincere love for his Jewish heritage and deep faith in God's Love for His people, he became one of the original Apostles of Christ and Patron Saint of the Byzantine Empire.
The First-Called
One day Jesus walked by John the Baptist and a group of his followers. St John announced to Andrew and the others, "Behold the Lamb of God". Andrew ran to his brother Simon Peter and declared, "We have found the Messiah", the Anointed One, and brought Simon to meet Jesus.
The Loaves and Fishes
Surrounded by a large crowd of people who had followed Jesus, His disciples became concerned about how to feed them. Andrew introduced a small boy who had five barley loaves and two fishes. The Lord blessed the meager basket of food and the Disciples fed the five thousand, gathering up 12 wicker baskets of fragments after all had eaten their full.
Saint and Martyr
Andrew is thought to have been martyred in the city of Patras in Arcaea. He is traditionally shown crucified on an X-shaped cross. It is said that he requested the unusual form considering himself unworthy of being crucified in a manner similar to Jesus, the Lord.
His Feast Day is on November 30th.
Patriarch of Constantinople
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Andrew became a close companion of Jesus throughout His ministry and preached the Christian Faith in Thrace, Scythia and Achaea which became the Patriarchate of Constantinople. He became its first Bishop and the Patron Saint of Byzantium.​
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Patron Saint
Venerated throughout all of Christianity, ST Andrew has major Shrines dedicated to him in Italy, Greece, Scotland, Poland.
He is considered the Patron Saint of many areas including: Scotland, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Prussia, Romania, Georgia, Barbados, Manila, Russia, Patras, Almalfi, to name a few.